Car crash driver pleads with Clackmannanshire Council to fix Coalsnaughton bend before someone is killed

A YOUNG woman who crashed her car because of an "ungritted" road in Coalsnaughton has pleaded for something to be done before someone loses their life.

The 22-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, miraculously walked away unscathed after her car slid on black ice before striking a tree and flipping onto its roof.

The accident took place on the B9140 between Coalsnaughton and Dollar on Monday, January 8 at around 9am when the temperature had dropped to around -7C.

The woman, who was travelling to work at the time, said she feels incredibly lucky to have walked away from the accident, which led to her vehicle being written off.

She told the Advertiser: “I have been OK since, although my back is quite sore. But I am obviously quite lucky.

"The only reason I am alive was because I was going quite slow. I would have been dead if I was not going as slow as I was.

“I think there’s a lot of accidents on that stretch of road. That morning I had to flash people who were trying to overtake on the ice. It is a really bad road.”

The Wee County woman, who was pulled from the wreckage by a passer-by, admits she is still struggling to come to terms with the ordeal.

She added: “It was a bit of a shock that day. I cried a lot later on after the accident. I have found it quite difficult to sleep.

"To walk away with nothing, I feel like there might be something going on internally. I ask myself: ‘Am I going to wake up tomorrow?'"

The young woman, who lives in Dollar, has said she is annoyed at the lack of action taken by the council on the road as they knew the conditions were going to be dangerous.

She said: “I just don’t understand why the roads weren’t gritted. The accident wouldn’t have happened if there was grit on the road. I understand there are other roads which need it too but so did that one.

“Are they going to wait until someone dies before something is done? I would hate for someone I know to suffer on that road after what happened to me.”

Indeed, it was only after police and paramedics had arrived at the crash scene that a gritter despatched to the scene. It was 11am before any salt was laid on the ground.

In a bid to reach a positive outcome, the woman is going to request a meeting with the council to put across her case that something should be done for the road, whether it be regular gritting when the weather is as icy or a ‘slow down’ sign on the approach to the bend.

“I just want to make it personal for them,” she continues. “I am going to ask them if they are going to do anything.”

That crash was not the only accident that day, however, as just 20 minutes before the 22-year-old’s car flipped, another woman, 24, hit the same patch of black ice and spun 360 degrees before hitting a fence on the grass verge.

It was that woman and her passenger who witnessed the subsequent crash before rushing to help her and phoning the emergency services.

The first driver, who was badly shaken up at her incident before witnessing the next, said: “Both accidents could have been avoided if the roads had been gritted.

“The road was a sheet of ice; no wonder the cars spun the way they did. Thank goodness everyone involved was safe.”

When the Advertiser first reported on the crash, some readers also claimed they had experienced similar accidents on the same stretch of road.

Clackmannanshire Council released a statement this week arguing that salt gritters are unlikely to improve conditions when it is so far below freezing.

However, the local authority did confirm that an inquiry would be carried out the circumstances surrounding the two incidents.

A spokesperson said: “Severe weather warnings were issued about icy conditions over this period, with the possibility of temperatures falling to as low as -9C overnight.

“Drivers were warned that additional care should be taken during this time, as salt becomes ineffective when temperatures are below -7C to -8C.

"The priority road network, which includes this road, was treated in advance of these extreme temperatures and council gritters were on routes from approximately 5.30am on Monday morning. Temperatures were reported around -8C at the time of these incidents.

“Further investigation will be undertaken into the claims of previous incidents at this location."

Ipsoregulated

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